美国DMSP-F13卫星解体事件对空间碎片环境影响分析

2015 年2 月3 日,美国DMSP-F13 卫星发生爆炸解体,产生了百余块编目空间碎片。该卫星解体碎片主要分布在轨道高度600～1200 km 范围内,其中近50%的编目碎片在轨寿命将超过20 年,会对未来空间碎片环境构成长期影响。结合我国空间碎片环境工程模型SDEEM 对DMSP-F13 解体事件的分析结果显示,此次解体事件造成邻近轨道区域内空间碎片空间密度增加,对该区域航天器安全运行产生影响。     

探测微小空间碎片的MOS电容传感器设计研究

获得在轨微小碎片环境数据,是建立、检验和完善微小碎片环境模型不可缺少的手段。国内空间碎片研究工作的深入开展,须要研制适合搭载到航天器上的微小碎片探测器,以完成轨道空间的微小碎片的质量、尺寸、速度及飞行方向等参数的测量。微小碎片撞击到金属-氧化物-半导体(MOS)电容传感器,会导致传感器放电和充电,通过检测充电过程的电脉冲信号,记录微小空间碎片撞击事件,从而获得微小空间碎片通量。文章就探测微小碎片的MOS电容传感器设计及其地面高速粒子撞击模拟试验进行了研究,并验证其探测微小空间碎片的可行性。     

同步带1-10cm级空间碎片可见光探测技术研究

针对目前天地基碎片探测装备无法对同步轨道带1 10cm级空间碎片进行探测的问题，文章在对同步轨道带碎片分布规律、碎片探测技术手段进行分析总结的基础上，分析探讨了高轨航天器搭载光电传感器实现同步轨道带1 10cm级碎片探测所具备的技术指标和功能特点，并对基于天基测角信息的空间碎片轨道确定算法及相关技术进行分析。基于本文所述的分析论证和技术方法，可以确定高轨航天器实现对同步轨道带1 10cm级碎片的探测识别和轨道确定的可行性及能力需求，为同步轨道带1 10cm级碎片的天基光学探测提供一定的技术支持，为同步轨道带碎片探测专用航天器的研制论证提供技术支撑。     

基于计算机的低地球轨道航天器设计与观测的轨道碎片环境模型

文章介绍了一个半经验的基于计算机的轨道碎片模型。该模型将轨道环境简化为6个不同的倾角带,每个倾角带都有各自的半长轴和近地点分布及根据不同的碎片来源有其各自的尺寸分布。用碰撞概率方程将轨道碎片分布与航天器上的碎片通量或通过地面探测器视角的通量联系起来。经比较,碎片的半长轴、近地点和倾角分布与美国空间司令部大于10cm的碎片目录是一致的。对于较小的碎片,这些分布与地面望远镜、“干草堆”雷达的测量结果一致,同时也与LDEF卫星和航天飞机的测量结果一致。     

低轨航天器运行环境质子通量预测模型对比研究

辐射带粒子环境是导致航天器故障和异常的重要因素。为此,需要对辐射带粒子环境及其通量分布进行研究。文章主要研究低地球轨道（LEO）环境辐射带质子分布情况。分析了目前用来计算质子通量的几种常用模型的优缺点;利用各模型计算了不同轨道的质子通量,对计算结果进行了比较;总结了进行不同高度、不同能量范围的质子通量计算时,选择不同模型的依据原则。     

地球静止轨道卫星撞击解体的数值模拟

分析了地球静止轨道（GE0）环内的物体现状,引入美国家航空航天局（NASA）的标准解体模型,给出了卫星撞击解体算法,编写了数值仿真软件,仿真研究了GEO卫星撞击解体形成碎片的特征及其轨道分布。结果表明：撞击会产生大量碎片,对空间环境造成长期的严重危害。研究结果对分析卫星撞击解体特性、保护空间环境有一定的参考价值。     

行星际粒子统计特征及其在深空探测用 器件失效概率预估中的应用

文章针对深空探测任务高能粒子辐射及所致器件失效定量评估问题,利用IMP-8在1973年—2001年的电子探测数据,统计了太阳电子事件通量的特征,证明事件通量符合对数正态分布。假设事件发生概率符合泊松分布,构建了行星际电子通量模型,再结合太阳质子通量模型、探测器轨道、行星际粒子在日球层的传播规律,得到不同置信度下空间粒子通量及其剂量。进一步结合器件累计失效剂量的试验数据,可定量评估器件失效概率。以一种典型的商用数据采集功能模块器件TL084和火星环绕探测任务为例,7个月转移轨道和3年火星轨道的任务期内,1 mm铝屏蔽下TL084的失效概率仅为1.01%。     

MOS电容型微小空间碎片探测器探头研究

MOS电容传感器具有结构简单、可靠、功耗小等优点,在国外已被成功用于微小空间碎片在轨探测,但国内开展的相关研究还较少。文章在对MOS电容传感器探测微小空间碎片原理及过程进行分析的基础上,基于ADS软件建立了传感器电路模型,确定了影响传感器探测性能的关键参数,完成了传感器的设计及研制,进而研制了阵列式探头。最后对阵列式探头成功开展了地面高速微粒撞击试验,探头在经过了数十次高速微粒撞击后,仍能对高速撞击事件进行测量,初步验证了使用该探头开展在轨微小空间碎片探测是可行的。     

低地轨道空间碎片环境建模与分析

根据“箱中粒子”（PIB）的模型和气体分子运动学理论，建立了估算低地轨道（LEO）上空间碎片总数的微分方程，参考国外文献提供的有关空间碎片统计数据和初始条件，求解方程，并分析了空间碎片环境的短期和长期变化趋势。     

空间目标地基监视雷达的原理分析

文章从发展我国空间目标地基监视雷达的需求出发,根据空间目标的运行机理,对地基监视雷达需要测量的主要参数,即目标的仰角、方位角和多普勒频移与空间目标6个轨道根数之间的关系进行了原理推算。对欧洲LEO空间监视雷达系统探测性能的仿真分析表明,该推算结果与其预测的性能是一致的。     

天基照相跟踪空间碎片批处理轨道确定研究

随着国内外天基观测空间碎片研究的展开,文章提出了利用跟踪卫星的CCD(Charge
Coupled Device)相机对空间碎片进行轨道探测的方法,首先建立了CCD照相观测模型和基于 照相观测 的空间碎片批处理轨道确定模型。通过对CCD相机底片归算方法的分析可知,利用
CCD相机所获得的观测数据与跟踪卫星的姿态无关,且其精度只与测量和坐标转换计算的精 度有关,在测量和计算中可获得较高的精度。分别对分布密度较高的低轨道和地球同步 轨道区域的空间碎片进行了定轨分析。仿真结果表明,定轨时采用两个跟踪弧段的照相数据 定轨精度大大高于一个弧段照相数据的定轨精度;跟踪卫星距离空间碎片越近,定轨精度越 高;低轨道空间碎片的定轨精度高于地球同步轨道上的空间碎片定轨精度。
     

Biobjective planning of an active debris removal mission

The growth of the orbital debris population has been a concern to the international space community for several years. Recent studies have shown that the debris environment in Low Earth Orbit (LEO, defined as the region up to 2000 km altitude) has reached a point where the debris population will continue to increase even if all future launches are suspended. As the orbits of these objects often overlap the trajectories of satellites, debris create a potential collision risk. However, several studies show that about 5 objects per year should be removed in order to keep the future LEO environment stable. In this article, we propose a biobjective time dependent traveling salesman problem (BiTDTSP) model for the problem of optimally removing debris and use a branch and bound approach to deal with it.     

Wholesale debris removal from LEO

Recent advances in electrodynamic propulsion make it possible to seriously consider wholesale removal of large debris from LEO for the first time since the beginning of the space era. Cumulative ranking of large groups of the LEO debris population and general limitations of passive drag devices and rocket-based removal systems are analyzed. A candidate electrodynamic debris removal system is discussed that can affordably remove all debris objects over 2 kg from LEO in 7 years. That means removing more than 99% of the collision-generated debris potential in LEO. Removal is performed by a dozen 100-kg propellantless vehicles that react against the Earth's magnetic field. The debris objects are dragged down and released into short-lived orbits below ISS. As an alternative to deorbit, some of them can be collected for storage and possible in-orbit recycling. The estimated cost per kilogram of debris removed is a small fraction of typical launch costs per kilogram. These rates are low enough to open commercial opportunities and create a governing framework for wholesale removal of large debris objects from LEO.     

低地轨道空间碎片环境建模与分析

根据“箱中粒子”(PIB-Particles In a Box)的模型和气体分子运动学理论,建立了估算低地轨道上空间碎片总数的微分方程,参考国外文献有关空间碎片统计数据和初始条件,求解方程,并分析了空间碎片环境的短期和长期变化趋势.     

Overview of the legal and policy challenges of orbital debris removal

Much attention has been paid recently to the issue of removing human-generated space debris from Earth orbit, especially following conclusions reached by both NASA and ESA that mitigating debris is not sufficient, that debris-on-debris and debris-on-active-satellite collisions will continue to generate new debris even without additional launches, and that some sort of active debris removal (ADR) is needed. Several techniques for ADR are technically plausible enough to merit further research and eventually operational testing. However, all ADR technologies present significant legal and policy challenges which will need to be addressed for debris removal to become viable. This paper summarizes the most promising techniques for removing space debris in both LEO and GEO, including electrodynamic tethers and ground- and space-based lasers. It then discusses several of the legal and policy challenges posed, including: lack of separate legal definitions for functional operational spacecraft and non-functional space debris; lack of international consensus on which types of space debris objects should be removed; sovereignty issues related to who is legally authorized to remove pieces of space debris; the need for transparency and confidence-building measures to reduce misperceptions of ADR as anti-satellite weapons; and intellectual property rights and liability with regard to ADR operations. Significant work on these issues must take place in parallel to the technical research and development of ADR techniques, and debris removal needs to be done in an environment of international collaboration and cooperation.     

Benefits and risks of using electrodynamic tethers to de-orbit spacecraft

By using electrodynamic drag to greatly increase the orbital decay rate, an electrodynamic space tether can remove spent or dysfunctional spacecraft from low Earth orbit (LEO) rapidly and safely. Moreover, the low mass requirements of such tether devices make them highly advantageous compared to conventional rocket-based de-orbit systems. However, a tether system is much more vulnerable to space debris impacts than a typical spacecraft and its design must be proved to be safe up to a certain confidence level before being adopted for potential applications. To assess space debris related concerns, in March 2001 a new task (Action Item 19.1) on the “Potential Benefits and Risks of Using Electrodynamic Tethers for End-of-life De-orbit of LEO Spacecraft” was defined by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). Two tests were proposed to compute the fatal impact rate of meteoroids and orbital debris on space tethers in circular orbits, at different altitudes and inclinations, as a function of the tether diameter to assess the survival probability of an electrodynamic tether system during typical de-orbiting missions. IADC members from three agencies, the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), participated in the study and different computational approaches were specifically developed within the framework of the IADC task. This paper summarizes the content of the IADC AI 19.1 Final Report. In particular, it introduces the potential benefits and risks of using tethers in space, it describes the assumptions made in the study plan, it compares and discusses the results obtained by ASI, JAXA and NASA for the two tests proposed. Some general conclusions and recommendations are finally extrapolated from this massive and intensive piece of research.     

Analysis of the Micrometeoroid and Debris Hazard Posed to an Orbiting Parabolic Mirror

Many concepts of future space systems involve the use of parabolic mirrors for optical applications. The need for a highly reflective finish means that performance of such systems will be particularly vulnerable to space debris and micrometeoroids. A case study was performed to examine the micrometeoroid and debris hazard posed to an orbiting parabolic mirror. The mirror considered was nominally Earth-pointed in a circular orbit with two candidate altitudes in low Earth orbit (LEO), well within the region inhabited by man-made debris. The timeframes of interest for the two missions were 2002–2004 and 2005–2015. Microgram and larger particles were considered.To perform this study, it was necessary to determine the debris and meteoroid flux across the parabolic surface. To assess sensitivity of results to uncertainity in available data, two approaches were taken. The first approach was an analytical procedure based on use of long duration exposure facility (LDEF) data and published theoretical results. The second approach used two readily available computer models: the ESA MASTER model and NASA's ORDEM96. In addition, an in-house implementation of the Grün meteoroid model was used. While multiple results were available for the total flux and flux distributed over azimuth, only the MASTER model was available for generating the desired elevation data to obtain the flux distribution over the parabolic mirror. In an attempt to bound the uncertainty in the knowledge of the elevation distribution, the results from both the MASTER and ORDEM96 models were processed together to form a separate, hybrid prediction. In addition, results were used in the preliminary design of a protective skirt.This case study elucidated the practical obstacles and considerations in performing a sufficiently accurate debris and meteoroid analysis using data and tools that are readily available to the broad space sector. The resulting procedures are useful in the assessment of the risk posed to optics by the meteoroid and debris environment and in the design of protection.     

L׳ADROIT – A spaceborne ultraviolet laser system for space debris clearing

Small (1–10 cm) debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) are extremely dangerous, because they spread the breakup cascade. Pulsed laser active debris removal using laser ablation jets on target is the most cost-effective way to re-enter the small debris. No other solutions address the whole problem of large (~100 cm, 1 t) as well as small debris. Physical removal of small debris (by nets, tethers and so on) is uneconomical because of the energy cost of matching orbits. In this paper, we present a completely new proposal relative to our earlier work. This new approach uses rapid, head-on interaction in 10–40 s rather than 4 minutes, using 20–40 kW bursts of 100 ps, 355 nm UV pulses from a 1.5 m diameter aperture on a space-based station in LEO. The station employs “heat-capacity” laser mode with low duty cycle to create an adaptable, robust, dual-mode system which can lower or raise large derelict objects into less dangerous orbits, as well as clear out the small debris in a 400-km thick LEO band. Time-average laser optical power is less than 15 kW. The combination of short pulses and UV wavelength gives lower required fluence on target as well as higher momentum coupling coefficient. An orbiting system can have short range because of high interaction rate deriving from its velocity through the debris field. This leads to much smaller mirrors and lower average power than the ground-based systems we have considered previously. Our system also permits strong defense of specific assets. Analysis gives an estimated cost less than $1 k each to re-enter most small debris in a few months, and about 280 k$ each to raise or lower 1-ton objects by 40 km. We believe it can do this for 2000 such large objects in about four years. Laser ablation is one of the few interactions in nature that propel a distant object without any significant reaction on the source.